Weekly Reader Teaches Home Safety:

Millions of Students Learn Safety Lessons through New HSC Program

The Home Safety Council and funding partners Lowe’s Home Improvement Warehouse and Osram Sylvania have teamed up with Weekly Reader to develop Safety Rangers Spot Dangers, an educational program specifically designed to teach children about the importance of safe practices at home. Led by Rover the Home Safety Hound, Home Safety Council’s official mascot, the free safety curriculum includes teacher lesson plans, specially designed games and educational activities for children ages kindergarten through third grade.

During the month of April, more than 476,000 elementary school teachers used materials including a home checklist for parents, as well as games and activities that encourage children to make safe decisions and seek a grownup for help when they see something unsafe at home. Rover leads children through safety lessons and shows them how to spot common problems at home that could lead to dangers such as falls, poisonings, fires, burns, choking and drowning. The program proved to be extremely successful, with more than 7.6 million parents completing a home safety checklist with their children. Additionally, nearly 6.4 million students reported making specific changes in safety behavior at home.

“The Home Safety Council is committed to developing educational programs that help put safe practices into action,” said Home Safety Council president Meri-K Appy. “Through the support of Lowe’s Home Improvement Warehouse and Osram Sylvania, nearly 10 million children learned life saving lessons and encourage their families to take simple steps to increase the safety of their homes.”

After a successful spring program, the Home Safety Council expanded its safety education materials to include a new curriculum, Safety Rangers Know the Drill, dedicated to fire safety. The new resources will be distributed to thousands of elementary school classrooms in October.

The Home Safety Council also distributes Weekly Reader lesson plans through the Great Safety Adventure, an interactive traveling exhibit that teaches valuable home safety lessons at schools and community events across the country.